HUDSON, N.Y. -- Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka has dropped a misdemeanor charge lodged against a Dutchess County man under the state's controversial new gun control law.

Czajka said he exercised his "prosecutorial discretion" in deciding not to pursue the case against 31-year-old Gregory Dean for violating the state's Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act.

"Simply put, I considered all the circumstances, and after reviewing the file and talking to the state trooper, decided to exercise my prosecutorial discretion and declined to prosecute," Czajka said.

About 9:45 p.m. on May 12, Dean, of Hopewell Junction, was stopped by state police on state Route 22 in the Columbia County town of New Lebanon for having an inadequate license plate lamp.

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According to authorities, while the trooper was interviewing Dean, he saw a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, partially covered by a sweatshirt, on the front passenger seat.

Dean had a license to carry the weapon, but the loaded magazine contained nine rounds of ammunition. The number of rounds of ammunition allowed in a handgun is limited to seven under the new state law.

As a result, Dean was charged with unlawful possession of an ammunition-feeding device, a misdemeanor. He also was charged with the misdemeanor of driving with a suspended license and the equipment violation.

When Dean appeared in New Lebanon Town Court on Thursday, Czajka announced he would not prosecute the SAFE Act violation.

"There are a number of circumstances, and I took all the relevant information into consideration," said Czajka, a former Columbia County judge. He declined to discuss what those circumstances were but said his decision was not based on his opinion of the controversial law.

"My personal opinion is irrelevant," said Czajka, a Republican. "I made it clear to the court that I was not making a blanket decision to all arrests. Instead, I will consider each case on its own merits, like I do with all cases."

Czajka also said that because Dean paid an overdue court fine that had led to his license being suspended, he reduced that charge to a violation. He said that and the ticket Dean received for the faulty license plate lamp still are pending in Town Court.

The state Legislature and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed through the sweeping gun control law in the aftermath of the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 children and six adults dead at the hands of Adam Lanza.

Since passage of the SAFE Act, thousands of individuals have protested the law, and local governments across the state have called for its repeal.